Results of recent Echocardiogram

[Laurensophie]

Hi I don’t post often on here but I get so much positivity from all your posts. I’mso glad to be part of the group.

I was diagnosed with a heart murmur last September at a routine drs appointment, only to be diagnosed a few months later after numerous tests, with moderate aortic regurgitation and a bicuspid valve which they believe has been from birth. I don’t really have any symptoms so it’s been a massive shock, my surgeon has decided to monitor me every 6 months and I was wondering if anyone can make any sense of these figures from my latest echocardiogram. Thanks

[NotanAstronaut]

Hi, have a read of my blog shaunoconnell.com/2023/08/1...

Your average gradient seems good at the moment and the ascending aorta doesn't seem dilated nor does your left ventricle seem to be hypertrophied (beefed up to push the blood through a stenosed valve). I'm the same age as you, if you're 56 so you're doing better than me.

I'm not a cardiologist or a cardiothoracic surgeon so you should check the above with one of them. You can see my data in my blog. I'm due to have surgery this Thursday.

My gut view would be stay active and not overweight, but don't push your exercise with marathons or other high intensity activities because I suspect, but am not 100% that it causes more ventricular hypertrophy which is not good. Moderate exercise - walking briskly, cycling and swimming, and gym stuff. I now wear a Garmin watch with the Heart Alarm app on it to stop me going over 100. (You have to use the Garmin Connect App to install this app on the watch). I would guess you can go higher for the time being, but again ask your cardiologist all this. If you can't get to see them face to face there's nothing to stop you writing to them and chasing it up if you've not had a reply within 2w. Then send a copy to the hospital's PALS service by email and they'll chase it for you. Don't ask your GP to do this. They can't get responses from hospitals any faster than you should be able to. Encourage the specialist to reply to you by email.

ALL YOUR FIRST DEGREE RELATIVES SHOULD HAVE AN ECHO TO BE SCREENED FOR A BICUSPID VALVE - YOUR SIBLINGS, YOUR PARENTS, YOUR CHILDREN, AND AGAIN IF ANY SIBLINGS HAVE ONE, THEIR CHILDREN TOO. They can organise this by seeing their GP who should examine them (listen to their heart and check their pulse and blood pressure, but I wouldn't accept not hearing a murmur as a reason for not doing an echo).

[Laurensophie in reply to NotanAstronaut]

Thank you for your reply. And what a great read ! Good luck for Thursday keep us all posted x